Housing Repairs Alpha

Tender description

Summary of the work Councils are responsible for providing repairs to socially rented properties. We want to run an Alpha to understand what a common service pattern for end-to-end housing repairs would look like and test multiple iterations with representative customers – including accessibility requirements, to ensure we solve the whole problem for users. Expected Contract Length 8 weeks Latest start date Monday 2 December 2019 Budget Range £70,000 to £90,000 including all expenses Why the Work is Being Done Councils are responsible for providing repairs to socially rented properties. Most users access the service by phone and it is typically the service with highest volumes. Following the completion of a discovery on whether a common service pattern for housing repairs is possible and what it would look like, we are progressing to Alpha. Problem to Be Solved Councils are responsible for providing repairs to socially rented properties. Most users access the service by phone and it is typically the service with highest volumes. Following the completion of a discovery on whether a common service pattern for housing repairs is possible and what it would look like, we are progressing to Alpha. The national cost of repairs call handling is estimated at >£30m p/a. Based on our experiences only ~50% of calls are for new repairs implying significant levels of failure demand. Take-up of online repairs is also low compared to telephone channels. We want to understand - what a scalable, reusable, accessible service pattern looks like and test the option proposed in discovery - To test the riskiest assumptions highlighted in discovery. In particular understanding how different localisation setup and integrations with new and existing technology may impact on design - Explore potential for self-help instructions - How the whole journey works for all types of repair, including rechargeable, communal and leaseholder -How the service pattern can be mapped to the Housing Associations' Charitable Trust repairs data standard. - the costs of developing a BETA product Required outputs: - Business case - UR report - Recommendation Report Who Are the Users As a customer -report, book, update and track repairs at my convenience, so I don't have to chase -raise emergency repairs that are handled quickly, so I don't have to worry -request repairs to communal areas, so they are safe and well maintained -understand at the earliest opportunity the responsibility for the repair, so I know what I have to pay As a customer service agent - I need to be able to log repairs at convenient times for customer so I can help callers - I need easy access to information, so I can help callers. As a repairs operative I need to: -know what I’m expected to fix, so that I arrive able to fix it. -raise additional jobs, so that repairs are resolved -know jobs are recorded accurately, so that I am paid correctly As a contractor I need to receive job information so I can complete the work required Early Market Engagement None Work Already Done Discovery report – details can be found https://orangemaple.co.uk/case-studies/cs-housing-repairs-defining-a-common-service-pattern-2/ https://www.southwark.gov.uk/innovate/collabrative-project/housing-repairs-projects Existing Team 1x Project Manager at each authority 1x Digital Change and Innovation manager at Southwark 1x Organisational Change Lead 1x Business Analyst at Lincoln 1x Business Analyst at Royal Borough of Greenwich 1x Business Analyst at South Kesteven District Council 1x Future Technology Lead at South kesteven District Council 1x Head of Improvements and Repairs at South Kesteven District Council 1x Repairs Officers from Southwark, Lincoln, Royal Borough of Greenwich and SKDC Current Phase Alpha Skills & Experience • Provide a multi-disciplinary team, including user research, service design, and delivery management • Have experience of working to the GDS service design manual • Demonstrate a track-record of user-centred design and Agile approaches • Have delivered a service that has been assessed against the Local Government Digital Service Standard or government service standard • Demonstrate experience designing services for a wide range of digital skills and confidence • Share their work freely and openly with the partner organisations and the wider community • Be able to build or design a tool that’s so good, people prefer to use it • Experience of developing design patterns that can be re-used by organisations Nice to Haves • Have experience working on repairs service within social housing • Worked on a project with multiple partners • Have the ability to impart knowledge and skills to our in-house team during delivery of the project • Have additional resources available to call on to rescue delivery timelines should significant slippage occur Work Location The supplier will be expected to conduct user research at each partner organisation site - Southwark Council, Lincoln Council, Royal Borough of Greenwich and SKDC All associated expenses, including travel costs, should be included in your costs and will not be reimbursed separately Base organisation will be Southwark Council at 160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2HZ. Working Arrangments We expect daily stand-ups and regular onsite meetings in order to engage with Digital and Repairs Service colleagues and build broader engagement with the style of working Security Clearance None No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Demonstration of essential skills and experience criteria • Understanding of user needs from the service • Clarity of the approach • Experience from a similar project • Team structure, including skills, experiences and relevance of individuals • Identification of risks and plan to mitigate them Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions • Have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistake • Take responsibility for their work • Share knowledge and experience with other team members • Work openly Payment Approach Capped time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 55% Cultural fit 15% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. Looking at the likely activities required in this phase, we anticipate that it would be most productive for our full team to be on-site for the entirety of the first week, and for different team members to be on-site on and off for most of the phase until the final week, when all or most of the team would be on-site for the full week. There would not be an issue with the kick off and conclusion being at one site however please in bear I mind that there are 4 sites in question and attendance at each one for a specified amount of time would be necessary given the requirements we have outlined. 2. Regarding the "daily standups"; would VTC meetings be acceptable? Some of the daily standups could be VTC meetings where appropriate. This would be acceptable given the expectation team members would need to be physically present at each partner authority site at different dates. 3. Is the mentioned ‘GDS service design manual’ the same as the ‘GDS Service Manual’? https://www.gov.uk/service-manual Yes that is GDS Service Manual 4. How many roles should the new team provide? As I can read from description, you mention user researcher, service designer and a delivery manager. Does that mean there is an existing technical team to work with?• Are all these roles required to be on-site or remote overseas workers will be considered? a) The minimum number of roles is as indicated in the supplier specification however team roles/members is subject to the outcomes of the brief being achieved in the given timescale .We expect all the necessary skills to be provided to deliver the Alpha including technical resource. We will be providing resources to help remove any blockers, such as access to data and contacts.b) The roles will need to be on site at all 4 sites as specified in the supplier requirements outline brief however we would be happy to engage with them remotely. 5. Is the mentioned ‘GDS service design manual’ the same as the ‘GDS Service Manual’? https://www.gov.uk/service-manual Yes that is the GDS Service manual 6. What are the different routes that people have in order to report, book, and track repairs today? The RFP has mentioned that phone is the most common solution today. Is there currently an online option in place? Are there additional options to report – e.g. email, in-person request? The different routes that people have in order to report, book and track repairs can be found in the Discovery report.https://localdigital.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Final-Presentation-Housing-Repairs-Discovery.pdf 7. Given that this is Alpha phase, will we be expected to build & test prototypes? What is the scope of prototypes the Council wishes to test – digital wireframes only or other types of services as well (phone, in-person)? At this stage the requirement is for a wireframe mockup only as we wish to iterate quickly. 8. Can you provide the details of the Housing Management and Scheduling systems in use by the councils involved in this project? That information can be found in the discovery report. https://localdigital.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Final-Presentation-Housing-Repairs-Discovery.pdf 9. Are we expected to map out back-of-house operational requirements and test the prototypes with customer service agents, repair operatives, and contractors? If so, will we be provided access to customer service agents, repair operatives, and contractors? Yes, the successful supplier will be expected to map out back-of-house operational requirements with customer service agents, repair operatives, and contractors all of whom access to will be provided. 10. Will we have access to end-users in the council for interviews and user testing? Yes, there will be access to end users in the council for interviews and testing. 11. When will the Discovery research be shared with the team? What format does the research exist in? Would we have access to the team who conducted the Discovery research to ensure maximum integration? The discovery research is in the final report which is publicly available:https://localdigital.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Final-Presentation-Housing-Repairs-Discovery.pdfhttps://localdigital.gov.uk/funded-projects-round-1/housing-repairs-online-improvement/ 12. We have reviewed the discovery phase outcomes and believe that our Repairs Diagnostics Solution meets all of the requirements of the Alpha/Beta phases and has proven integration with the majority of HMS and Scheduling Systems. Would you consider a submission based on an existing product? It would not be appropriate to use an existing product as the objectives of the Alpha phase are to iteratively test solutions, arrive at different options and determine the viability of progressing to Beta. 13. If an existing solution is not desirable, would you consider a partial bid on this opportunity to assist with the integration? We have developed an ‘Integration Layer’ specifically for repairs diagnostics and appointment management which we have previously utilised for a Housing Association where they developed their own diagnostics solution in-house. Unfortunately a partial bid is not desirable. We require a supplier who will work to research what a scalable, reusable, accessible service pattern looks like and test the option proposed in discovery. This would not necessarily mean the adoption of a solution that has already been developed. 14. Do you have a set timescale in mind for the delivery of the Alpha phase? We are expecting the delivery timescale to be 8 weeks this is to be completed by 24th January 2020. The expectation is that this will be made up of four 2 week sprints. 15. Do you anticipate the supplier who worked on the discovery phase to apply for this opportunity? We have no set expectations as to which suppliers will apply to work on the delivery of this Alpha. This is an open opportunity for any supplier who can address the evaluation criteria and skills required in an appropriate manner to apply for.